State Rep. to be honored by National Guard

To honor his impressive work on behalf of military servicemen, the National Guard will present state Rep. Anthony Verga with its most prestigious award next month.

The Charles Dick Medal of Merit was established in 1988 in honor of Major General Charles Dick, a former U.S. Senator and Representative who authored the legislation that created the National Guard. The award serves as a tribute to elected officials for their dedication to and support of the National Guard over an extended period of time.

When asked what the award means to him, Verga (D-Gloucester) was at a loss for words.

"It's a very humbling experience when you are nominated for something of this magnitude," Verga told PolitickerMA.com. "It's a very humbling experience."

Major Joseph Carter, the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, praised Verga's record of fighting on behalf of the National Guard.

"Rep. Verga is an unequalled leader in our commonwealth's General Court in support for current and former National Guard Soldiers and Airmen," he said in a statement. "Whether proposing legislation to promote the well being of service members and their families; as Co-Chair of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; or serving on the lieutenant governor's Commission for the Study of the Hidden Wounds of War, Rep. Verga has made the welfare and status of members of the military and their families, past, present and future, his primary legislative and personal mission."

Verga joins a notable list of Bay State figures that have received the award including former Republican governors Paul Cellucci and William Weld, as well as Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst).

Asked about his legislative accomplishments that led to the award, Verga understated their significance.

"I don't know what I would have done to win this," he said. "We did some work that I think is in the normal day's exercise of a state representative."

The Guard obviously felt that Verga's accomplishments are far from "normal." As chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, he authored the "Welcome Home Bill," which created an emergency fund for families that are under financial strain due to a member's military deployment. It also created a tax-free bonus of $1,000 for all Bay State service members upon return from their deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. And the legislation provided tuition and fee waivers for National Guard members to attend Massachusetts universities

"When people put themselves in harm's way," Verga said, "this country owes them a great deal."

Verga has also authored legislation that established a commission to study and address the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries are having on Massachusetts service members returning to civilian life.

The National Guard will present Verga the award at the 130th General Conference of the National Guard Association in Baltimore, Md. on Sept. 22.

Verga added that his work on these issues is just beginning. "There's a lot more that has to be done," he said, "and we hope to do it in the future."